She is different from the empress in the history books

Chapter 136 Speculation
Eh?etc.Zhou Xumeng was stunned. Before he could recover, his wrist was already twisted by the maid who was following Cheng Fei.

In order for Zhou Xu to escape smoothly, the Zhou family did not let anyone follow him in order to teach him a lesson.After arriving at the princess mansion, the steward assigned him two servants to take care of his daily life, but it was obvious that they listened to Cheng Fei more than to the guest Zhou Xu.

Therefore, one of the two went to find the rope, and the other went to help the maid to hold him down. The division of labor clearly tied Zhou Xu tightly.

"Ms. Cheng, what do you mean? Please tell me what you have to say."

Cheng Fei was a little confused when he saw Zhou Xu's innocent expression. Could it be that he really guessed it by himself?

But Cheng Fei couldn't make this kind of judgment. After all, the matter was so important that she asked someone to find a piece of cloth to cover Zhou Xu's mouth to prevent him from continuing to confuse her decision.

On the way to tie Zhou Xu and drag him to Pei Peng's yard, it was considered a ostentation. Not everyone who passed by knew Zhou Xu, but most of them knew Cheng Fei. Seeing that she tied up a half-year-old boy, Those who are familiar with Cheng Fei will inevitably go forward and ask a few words to see if there is anyone who needs help, and those who know Zhou Xu just feel that this matter is a bit tricky, and some simply turned around and went back to report to their master .

So, before Cheng Fei and the others came over, Pei Peng knew about it, and then Xu Shu also knew about it.

Fortunately, after being watched a few more times, Cheng Fei also realized that it was too much fanfare. After all, Zhou Xu was still the son of the county magistrate. If no problem was found, the news spread wildly. I don’t have any good fruits to eat.

So, Cheng Fei waved his hand and asked someone to find a cloth bag and cover Zhou Xu's face.

Zhou Xu has no love in his life, and now he has figured out what Cheng Fei's stress reaction is for. He feels that he has been wronged, but he also knows that he was reckless. When he thinks about his actions again, he also It is normal to feel suspicious, and to be suspicious.

However, fortunately, he is really frank, even from his father, Zhou Xu also heard from his father that he has the intention of surrendering to Princess Chengyang. No more, it’s nothing more than another place to be the magistrate. He can’t win the upper county, and he can’t settle the intricate interests if he wins it. Zhongxian or other lower counties, it’s better to be in Chengyang County, which is already well-run. stay on.

Then, if you want to stay firmly in Chengyang County, you must listen to Princess Chengyang.

Therefore, Zhou Xu was reassured that there must be nothing fishy about his father, and he would be fine if he was investigated.

Thinking about it this way, Zhou Xu felt that it was okay. He originally thought that Cheng Fei came to ask him about his intentions for Pei Peng, and then he explained everything. Express your heart.

Cheng Fei was not a bully, so no one thought she was deliberately looking for trouble. Thinking about Zhou Xu's sudden appearance as a Taoist priest, Pei Peng also had the same suspicion as Cheng Fei. He always felt that this kid was being manipulated by someone. Take advantage of.

Of course, there is still a one-tenth possibility that there is a problem with the Zhou family.

Pei Peng doesn't really want this possibility to happen. After all, she feels that she has gotten along well with County Magistrate Zhou in the past six months, and they have gotten along very well. She feels that County Magistrate Zhou is almost her basic position. Find a way to remove him before his term ends.

However, if that kind of possibility really happened, Pei Peng felt that he had to make preparations earlier, to see how to arrange his manpower to the position in Chengyang County, and then transfer Zhou Keping away for any reason.

Pei Peng had several thoughts in his mind, but his men did not stop at all. He sent extra people to keep an eye on the area near the county government office, and also sent people to call back the people who routinely collected information near the county government office to see if they had noticed. What an exception.

Even at Xiaowei Meng’s place, Pei Peng also did a similar operation. After all, Meng and Zhou have worked together for a longer time, and they have always gotten along well before. The two children are also close to each other. If there is any mistake, it is impossible for Xiaowei Meng. completely unaware.

However, Pei Peng thought about that little girl Meng Rongzhi, and after all, he didn't doubt Captain Meng too much.

In addition to following and reporting, Pei Peng also sent more people to guard the group of Taoist priests and the warehouse where the raw materials for fireworks and gunpowder were stored.

She also sent another person to call Chen Song over. On the one hand, Chen Song knew better if there was something wrong with the Taoist priests and if there was any suspicious situation;

On the other hand, even though Chen Song is basically accompanied by people she arranged to go, Pei Peng can't fully guarantee that there will be no problems. After all, Pei Rong has been famous for so many years, and he will leave some dark manpower for his youngest son. It's not impossible, who knows if there will be someone who is so powerful that he can bypass the layers of prevention and control in the house and bring the news out.

The orders were issued one by one, and Cheng Fei and the others came over quickly. At this time, Xu Shu also heard the news and hurried over, fearing that something serious would happen.

A group of people happened to gather at the entrance of the courtyard. Cheng Fei asked Xu Shu to go first, then Chen Song. Finally, she led Zhou Xu and the others into the courtyard and ordered the guards to close the door.

Pei Peng was already waiting. Seeing Zhou Xu's embarrassment, he couldn't help but find it funny. In fact, even if Zhou Xu had a problem, he, a child and a half, couldn't do anything by force. He was just trying to find out information.

Although Cheng Fei was so cautious, Pei Peng still praised her and then ordered someone to untie Zhou Xu.

Cheng Fei noticed that Cheng Yufeng and three others were standing behind Pei Peng. They all had knives on their waists and surrounded Pei Peng in a semi-surrounding posture. Knowing that Pei Peng was prepared, he did not refute.

However, Cheng Weiwei, she seems to have not seen her for a while. Although Cheng Weiwei didn't follow Pei Peng all the time when Pei Peng was in the house, but when he didn't need to train his men, he often followed Pei Peng. Protect.

Cheng Fei was just curious, without thinking deeply, and soon turned her attention to Zhou Xu.

The cloth pocket on Zhou Xu's head was taken off, his neatly tied hair was also messed up, the ropes tied around his body were removed, and his neat clothes were also messed up. While saluting Pei Peng and Xu Shu, he defended himself:

"Your Highness Princess, Madam Cheng has really misunderstood me. I admit that I want to be a Taoist priest. It is true that I am not interested in drinking. But I also really want to do things for you, Princess. This is why I am reckless and have not been accepted by others. I was asked to inquire about secrets."

Xu Shu turned to look at A Niang and asked for her:

"How do you, an uncrowned child, know that you are capable of doing things for my grandma? How do you know that the fireworks are not a vision produced during elixir refining? And you are not being bribed?"

Xu Shu and Zhou Xu's conversation has already been told to Pei Peng every word and every word. Xu Shu's inquiry is not so comprehensive, but she also knows the general idea.

So Xu Shu skipped repeating the conversation between Cheng Fei and Zhou Xu and asked Zhou Xu about his doubts.

Why did Zhou Xu know?

In fact, it was really a mistake.

The yard that Pei Peng bought to house the Taoist priests is actually quite remote. It is behind the Princess Mansion, not the main street, and there are not many pedestrians passing by.

And when choosing a place for Pei Peng to designate the princess mansion, basically all the people who lived nearby were asked to move out, and most of them sold their houses and moved in elsewhere.Those who didn’t sell their house, also because they didn’t lack the money at home, decided to stay as another house, thinking that they might get online with Princess Chengyang in the future, and it would be convenient to live here for a while.

After Pei Peng bought one of the villas and strengthened the defense of the surrounding area, other families, even if they were curious, knew that this was not something they could pry into. They were afraid that they would know something they shouldn't know and get angry, so they all took advantage of it. The servants placed in the courtyard have withdrawn, leaving only one or two old servants guarding the door. Anyway, there is a patrol team from the Princess Mansion here, and thieves will not dare to come easily.

The adults know it well, but the children don't care so much.

A friend of Zhou Xu who had a good time had another courtyard here. He was looking for a place where he could play with his friends without being nagged by the elders. Sneaky invite friends over to play.

They dared not ask the old servant to open the door, and simply stooped over the wall to get in.

Zhou Xu was the last one. Relying on the three-legged cat kung fu he learned from Meng's elder brother, he climbed up the wall twice without others helping him.After climbing up the wall, he didn't rush down, and looked around, and saw a few Taoist priests coming and going in a nearby yard—that was when Cheng Fei didn't give them any idea to change their lab coats.

Before Zhou Xu had time to look more, the patrols arranged by the princess mansion rushed over to tell Zhou Xu not to look around. He jumped off the wall quickly, but he had an impression in his heart, knowing that it was Pei Peng's place to house Taoist priests. yard.

But why not build a Taoist temple for them?

Zhou Xu was curious, but didn't ask anything.

Later, the elders found out that the friend sneaked into the other courtyard. From then on, he never dared to bring up the matter of taking friends to play, and Zhou Xu never went there again.

It wasn't until the night when the fireworks were lit that his father confirmed that the location was the small courtyard behind the princess mansion, and Zhou Xu didn't know that the fireworks had something to do with Taoist priests.

The rumors that followed in the city also confirmed this. People said that it was a vision while refining the alchemy.

But again, since the princess asked the Taoist priests to refine the elixir for her, wouldn't it be more effective to build a Taoist temple and enjoy incense and worship?
In his quick glance that day, he didn't find any statues or temples in the yard.

If it is other children, they will be curious if they are curious. Since everyone says it is alchemy, then it is alchemy. They will not think about why they don’t build Taoist temples to make alchemy more effective, and they will not just because they want to watch fireworks again And trying to squeeze into the ranks of Taoist priests.

But not Zhou Xu. He studied this matter as if he were reading a book, determined to understand all the doubts.

Together with his closest book boy, he went to inquire separately, and learned from the gatekeeper of a nearby yard that before the fireworks appeared, the yard had blown up the furnace many times during alchemy. Zhou Xu also heard one of them say He remembered that one day, he seemed to see a bright light flying out of that yard, but it disappeared soon. He thought it was his old eyesight that made a mistake.

Zhou Xu glanced at the other party's gray hair, a little trusting his judgment, but still felt that the light might be real.

He also inquired about the people who came to watch the watch, the people who harvested night incense, and other inconspicuous people who maintained the operation of a city. They would pass by the neighborhood regularly due to work reasons.

Although most people didn't notice anything special, or didn't think there was anything special when they saw it, Zhou Xu was different. As soon as the important information was integrated, he boldly made a guess—he was not sure whether the appearance of fireworks had anything to do with alchemy, but this actually happened more than once.

In other words, this may be artificially controllable. Thinking about it this way, a device that can glow at night and bloom colored flowers in the sky has many uses.

Then, this must be a more important technology in the eyes of Princess Chengyang.

Bold assumptions, careful verification, Zhou Xu, a pure ancient child, learned this point without a teacher.

In fact, before he came to the Princess Mansion, he was just hypothesizing. If he thought it would be a big deal, people would think that he was rebellious and wanted to be a Taoist priest. If Pei Peng agreed, he would learn alchemy, which would not be a disadvantage; In the worst case, he was sent home and was beaten up by his father, but he didn't hurt his muscles or bones.

When Zhou Xu was tested on the numeracy questions by Chen Song, Zhou Xu strengthened his trust in his hypothesis. After all, he had never heard of alchemy requiring numeracy.

What's more, Chen Song tested him, which meant that Chen Song knew the inside story and even participated in it. Although he heard that the princess grew up in a Taoist temple, Zhou Xu felt that Princess Chengyang would not let her nephew hang out with Taoist priests all his life. Yes, then what he is doing may be the task assigned to him by Princess Chengyang to train him.

There is also Cheng Fei's secret.

In fact, when Zhou Xu said that "it's not just about alchemy", he was only [-]-[-] sure, and the rest was just a lie to Cheng Fei. Anyway, it didn't matter if he was wrong.

But Cheng Fei's performance was too obvious, completely confirming Zhou Xu's guess.

In short, going around, a group of adults were curious, and a group of spies inquired. Instead, Zhou Xu used various sources to support his speculation. Fortunately, he was right.

After listening to Zhou Xu's long process of seeking proof, a group of people looked at each other in blank dismay.

Pei Peng purely appreciated it. Although she didn't fully believe Zhou Xu's words, she still planned to wait for the information she inquired before trusting him.

But if these are all true, then it is really hard for Zhou Xu not to be liked by Pei Peng. He is still young, and he already knows that the investigation should start from Ye Xiang, which is easily overlooked by those patrolling. The watchman and the gatekeeper started.

(End of this chapter)